USMC Sniper Kill over 1 mile

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GCM

Apologies if this has already made the circuit but I just saw it on another site that posted it today. It is also a made for telly dramatization so you have been warned in case you prefer only amateur footage.

GCM

If you attend sniper training or go into the special forces you will learn more of this. One proponent is retired US Army LtCol Dave Grossman, now a well-know author and "expert" on the psychological and physiological aspects of combat. His books " On Killing" and "On Combat" are widely read in higher level professional military schools and his views have been woven into the training syllabi at least in US SF training (I taught a block of instruction in recent years at the Marine Special Operations Operators Course using some of his principles).

Grossman, who addressed Iraq-bound Marines Aug. 26 at the Base Training Center Theater, coined the term to describe what he sees as a necessary change in combat training. His prescription: Conduct training that prepares a warrior's intellect and preserves his psychological well-being.

"It's time to go to war knowing what to expect," Grossman said.

Grossman, a former Army Ranger, paratrooper and West Point professor of military science, offered free advice to men who ultimately may have to confront - or even seek - what most people would rush to avoid.

"You must become a master of violence," Grossman said. "Every creature flees from the sound of a gun, but you run to a gunfight. Violence is what you do; violence is what you fight. A warrior must run to the sound of the guns and confront evil."

Grossman's audience was made up mostly of Marines who had already seen combat. The violence and confusion of war was not a mystery to them. But combat inoculation is not as much about training for the violence as it is training for the stress on mind and body the violence brings.

"Twenty-one percent of men fighting in the Pacific admitted to crapping their pants in combat," Grossman said. He added that the other 79 percent were thought to be lying. "Your dignity comes second to survival."

Not knowing that small fact could lead to humiliation for a Marine in combat - and psychological stress that could lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Grossman said research shows that 98 percent of men could handle only 60 days and nights of combat before succumbing to combat stress. The remaining 2 percent, who continued fighting beyond 60 days, were considered crazy when they got there, he said.

A further study revealed that the 2 percent-ers were made up of two groups, sociopaths or "wolves" and "sheepdogs," people who remained completely normal psychologically despite the violence.

"There is nothing superior about the sheepdog except his ability to thrive in combat," Grossman said. He added that many people thank their god they weren't on one of the planes of 9/11. "The sheepdog wants to be on the plane." The sheepdog's sole mission in life is to kill the wolves and protect the sheep.

For the rest of us sheep, there's combat inoculation.

"Frightened human beings will only do what they're trained to do," Grossman said. He then quoted, "You don't rise to the occasion. You sink to the level of your training."

Grossman explained that humans have two minds they have to control in combat - the fore brain, which is full of intellectual thought and know-how, and the mammalian brain, which controls our involuntary functions and fight-or-flight reflexes.

Controlling our heart rate is the secret to controlling our actions in stressful situations, and controlling our breathing is the secret to controlling our heart rate. Tactical breathing is the control knob to keep us in the fight - and could hold the key to keeping our sanity afterward, he said.

Grossman demonstrated the four-count breathing technique. It's like a basketball player calming himself down to take a free-throw shot, he said.

"120 to 140 beats per minute is optimal for survival, but you lose fine motor skills," he said.

A sniper, like a basketball player, has to slow down his heart rate to 100 beats per minute to take a good shot. Above 160 beats and a warrior starts to panic or lose consciousness, he said.

Stress changes the body. Under stress, the body pulls in blood to protect the vital organs. We lose our hearing as our mind becomes more focused on sight and smell, he said.

"Auditory exclusion," Grossman called it. "In combat you can't hear your shots. In low-light conditions, the eyes will shut down. It's difficult to speak. Time can seem to slow down. People have even claimed to see to rounds coming at them."

"Realistic training is the only way" to counter those effects, he said. For Marines, he said, that means painting the enemy.

Seeing the muzzle flash and feeling the sting of a paintball round is as close as we can come to the real thing, he explained.

These conditioned responses can save your life in combat. But Grossman reminded his audience the warrior's No. 1 killer is stress.

"Fear and pain creates a powerful neural network," Grossman said. "Lost memory, slowed time, false memories - just remember you're not losing your mind. Your partners, the Marines who were there with you can help you fill in the blanks."

Bullet-proofing the mind with tactical breathing and training also can save a Marine from psychological damage that lingers long after the fight, he said. Deal with the stress openly and make peace with the memories, Grossman said. He urged Marines to "weave a path between self-pity and macho arrogance."

LE

If you attend sniper training or go into the special forces you will learn more of this. One proponent is retired US Army LtCol Dave Grossman, now a well-know author and "expert" on the psychological and physiological aspects of combat. His books " On Killing" and "On Combat" are widely read in higher level professional military schools and his views have been woven into the training syllabi at least in US SF training (I taught a block of instruction in recent years at the Marine Special Operations Operators Course using some of his principles).

"You must become a master of violence," Grossman said. "Every creature flees from the sound of a gun, but you run to a gunfight. Violence is what you do; violence is what you fight. A warrior must run to the sound of the guns and confront evil."

I find it a little strange.
Reducing things to basic black and white is reminiscent of a political officer of the late unlamented Soviet Union.
Probably just perception on my part but do the US Forces ever talk in plain English?(1)

(1) For US values of English, natch.

Few of lifes problems cannot be solved by the liberal application of High Explosive.
'ere, don't charge I Sarge, jus' bollock I, and **** I off.

GCM

I find it a little strange.
Reducing things to basic black and white is reminiscent of a political officer of the late unlamented Soviet Union.
Probably just perception on my part but do the US Forces ever talk in plain English?(1)

Of course it all depends on how one defines "plain" I understand your reaction but I also again state Americans and Brits are much alike but also much different in the way we say and do things. Variety, after all, is the spice of life. (except that penchant for British men to wear pink...)

"No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little." Edmund Burke

GCM

While your use of the term septics may suggest something more afoot than is the subject of this thread, in reviewing both the tape and the thread, I see nothing whatever stated or even implied in the nature of "we can shoot better than you can..." or some other childishness. It is merely a video and a thread about some good shooting, regardless of the nationality.

Is it impossible (and yes I know it IS ARRSE after all) to post things here of military merit without having to engage in these intramural debates about who is better at this or that which I think are better posted on airsofter sites.

"No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little." Edmund Burke

ADC

If I had wanted to burn, collect sand in everything I own, overheat, run around, shoot things with something less than 4.5inch caliber, wear green/sand coloured baggy outfits, live more than 16m above Sea Level I would have joined the Army.

War Hero

I'm amazed that the USMC sniper only recieved the Bronze star for his actions, unless of course the bronze star carries more respect than the name implies, (although just read that the Bronze star is the 4th highest award for bravery, but still seems a little mean to award this instead of a higher award).